Julen Lopetegui’s three standout second half substitutions against Fulham

Recently, West Ham managed to take an important point with a last minute equaliser to draw 1-1 with Fulham in an away fixture. Fulham created a lot of chances in the first half, but rock solid defending from Max Kilman and Aaron Wan-Bissaka kept the Hammers in the match despite going behind 1-0 at half time. In the second half, manager Julen Lopetegui made some great substitutions which helped the Hammers to comeback in the fixture and avoid a third Premier League defeat this season. 

On that note, here are three standout substitutions who were remarkable throughout the second half.

Julen Lopetegui’s three standout second half substitutions against Fulham

Lucas Paqueta

Manager Julen Lopetegui made a surprising decision in the starting lineup when he started Tomas Soucek in the position of Paqueta, and kept the attack unchanged. Soucek couldn't create much chances going forward and often had to help the team while defending in the first half. 

Brought on for Soucek, Paqueta displayed his creativity and flair as he helped West Ham find more spaces in the Fulham half to advance inside the final third. Paqueta also made a key pass in the game alongside kept creating goalscoring chances for West Ham. 

Carlos Soler

In the final twenty minutes of the match, Lopetegui brought Soler on his West Ham debut in the place of Guido Rodriguez, who didn't had a great game and struggled to deal with Fulham's high-press tactical setup throughout the match. Therefore, West Ham needed to bring more control to their midfield as they advanced forward to score a goal to level the game. 

Carlos Soler did exactly that and with his passing and game awareness helped the Hammers in their build up play. Moreover, Soler made a huge clearance and an important tackle as well to avoid the Hammers conceding further goals after being 1-0 behind in the match. 

Danny Ings 

Without a doubt, Ings was the star for the Hammers in this 1-1 draw. Although Cryscencio Summerville's addition in the place of Michail Antonio was great, however, West Ham needed a quality number nine towards the end of the match. 

Ings took a great attempt on goal with five minutes remaining in the game and showed brilliant game awareness to take a first touch on Bowen's pass before finding the back of the net with an impressive finish. In the upcoming matches, Ings is highly likely to get more playing time at West Ham, with first choice centre forward Niclas Fullkrug recovering from his injury.